Page 78 of Echoes of Him

“Hey, Bailey,” I say, accepting his FaceTime call. “How are you? I miss you. Are you having a good time?”

A mop of messy blonde curls surrounds his face. He stares blankly at the screen. “Good morning, Sienna.” I try not to laugh because Bailey’s not laughing. He’s so serious all the time, and sometimes that’s the funniest part of all. “Three hours and fifty-four minutes,” he blurts out, chewing on a slice of toast.

I swing around on the stool so I’m facing the kitchen window, my eyes not leaving the screen. “What is?”

“In a car.”

“You’re going to have to give me more to work with, buddy. I’m lost.”

“Twenty-two hours and twenty-eight minutes on a bike. Eighty-four hours walking.”

I have to think about it for a moment. Then it dawns on me. Then I understand. “We’re not moving to Washington, Bailey. No matter how close it is or how long it takes to get there, driving, cycling or walking.”

“The space museum is in Washington,” he says softly. As if that fact alone is enough evidence to support his claim.

“I get it, buddy, I really do. You’ve had a great time with Andrea, but we’re not moving to Washington. We can go to the space museum another time. I promise.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for starters, you’ll be leaving with Andrea tomorrow to come home. And when you get home, you’ll be exhausted from the trip. And then you’ll have school, and I’ll have work. We’ll go another time.”

Bailey’s eyes dart nervously from side to side the way they always do when he’s thinking really hard. He leans in slightly, his eyes narrowing in on something behind me. “Sienna’s not at work. Sienna’s not at home.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Where are you?”

“I…uh, I took a quick trip up to the mountains.”

Bailey raises his eyebrows doubtfully. He turns a deep crimson and chokes a little on this toast. He sets the toast down in front of him and then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Macaulay Culkin made his acting debut in 1988.”

I narrow my eyes at him, but his expression doesn’t falter. I swear sometimes having a conversation with my brother is like having a conversation with Raymond Babbit. Or C-3P0.

“You’re not going to be home alone, Bailey. I’ll be back before you. I’m coming home this afternoon. I promise I’ll be there when Andrea drops you off tomorrow night.”

Bailey’s mouth twitches. “Who is that man?”

Oh, shit.I spin around, completely forgetting that I’m not actually alone.

Kael is leaning against the counter on the opposite side, his hands gripping the edges. He’s not wearing a shirt, and his chest still bears the faint red scratches I left there after last night’s effort between the sheets.

Awesome.

“Bailey, this is uh…” Screw it. I’ve never lied to my brother before, and I’m not about to start now. I’m just going to tell him the truth.Sort of. “This is Kael. He’s my friend. He’s in a band. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

“The moon’s surface is dominated by igneous rocks.”

Kael walks closer, slinging an arm over my shoulder. He stares down at the screen, not sure what to make of Bailey’s random musings. But live with the kid long enough, and you pick up things that most other people miss.

“Yes, a rock band. And guess what the band’s name is?”

Bailey looks confused for a second, and I realize he’s searching his mind, literally trying to guess the name of the band. “It’s Cold Neptune, Bailey,” I tell him quickly. “Neptune, like the planet.” We could be here all day otherwise. “Kael, this is my brother, Bailey.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com